Archive for the 'Rock On The Range' Tag Under 'Soundcheck' Category

•Doheny Blues Festival: The lineup for the 16th annual weekend gathering, May 18-19 at Doheny State Beach in Dana Point, has fallen into place. Topping the roster is the new pairing of jam-rocker Ben Harper and blues harmonica great Charlie Musselwhite (their Stax album Get Up! arrives next week), along with the first fest appearance from jaw-dropping virtuoso Joe Bonamassa in three years.

Also in the mix are several Doheny Blues veterans: the uplifting pedal-steel soul of Robert Randolph & the Family Band, belters Marcia Ball and Shemekia Copeland, guitarists Sonny Landreth and Cindy Cashdollar, Zydeco star Terrance Simien, the return of the James Hunter Six and more. Only weekend passes are currently on sale, $100 for general admission, $225 for VIP. More acts are expected to be announced through March.

• The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: As you might have noticed when the 2013 inductees were revealed, the HoF is finally bringing its 28th annual ceremony west and opening it up to the public, April 18 at Nokia Theatre. Tickets, $75-$750, are on sale now for American Express card-holders. Hall of Fame and Museum and fan club sales start Jan. 28, with the general on-sale starting Feb. 1. The ceremony airs a month later on HBO.

Who will induct whom? John Mayer and Gary Clark Jr. will play in tribute to Albert King, with Mayer giving the speech. Don Henley will salute Randy Newman. Christina Aguilera and Jennifer Hudson will perform in honor of Donna Summer. And Dave Grohl and Taylor Hawkins of Foo Fighters will celebrate the awesomeness of Rush. No word who will give praise to Public Enemy, Heart, Lou Adler or Quincy Jones.

Last year, by the time Linkin Park and Tool took the stage at the first Epicenter festival, it was clear to anyone who could recall 1974's California Jam (featuring the Eagles, Black Sabbath, Deep Purple and Earth, Wind & Fire) and its '78 sequel (featuring Ted Nugent, Aerosmith, Santana, Foreigner and Heart) that the brains behind this modern-day revamp intended to evoke the spirit of those storied Inland Empire events that drew hundreds of thousands of people to the Ontario Motor Speedway.

This year, organizers at Right Arm Entertainment are going one better.